


When the Sun goes down

by CamelotLady



Category: Narcos (TV)
Genre: F/M, Investigations, Secret Relationship, dea, female DEA, partners, this is when javier is less than an asshole
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-16
Updated: 2021-03-01
Packaged: 2021-03-13 22:28:17
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 19,347
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28785693
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CamelotLady/pseuds/CamelotLady
Summary: Gina Mendez moved to Colombia waiting to catch one of the biggest drug lords left. Partnered with Javier Peña her only thing in mind is getting her job done and go home, but what she finds is more than she can imagine.
Relationships: Javier Peña/Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 7
Kudos: 12





	1. First day

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! This is my very very first Narcos fanfiction, only because I recently watched the entire first season and I fell in love with Javier Peña. As I was watching this I had a "What if?" moment, and I decided to write this. It's a multichapter story with an original character, it is set after season 3. There's no Steve BUT there will be mentions of him. It's post Pablo Escobar. 
> 
> Enjoy!

**First Day**

Gina Mendez stepped inside the narrow and crowded office, glanced around for any sort of guidance, but all she found was chit chat and people moving around in a hurry. Ever since Pablo Escobar had died, the job in the DEA office had increased. Even if she didn't live in Cali, the news of how the drug lords had expanded their work had traveled to her own office in The States. She knew all about the man's demise; the officers who had led the investigation, how he died and the consequences surrounding the case. She recalled one name in particular because he was the reason she was standing in the middle of the room in Colombia: Javier Peña. Gina had seen his picture on the newspaper and his face had gotten stuck on her brain. Now, just a month later, the opportunity of a lifetime had presented right in front of her and she couldn't and would never say no to it.

An uniformed man stopped in front of her when he noticed how transfixed in everyone's movement she was. He looked at her from head to toe and Gina didn't know if it was her casual attire of jeans and a sweatshirt that had called his attention or not and made her look less like a DEA agent and more like a twenty-something woman.

"Can I help you?" the officer asked. Gina gave him a grateful smile and pulled out a piece of paper from her purse, reading what she had written out loud for the man to hear.

"I'm looking for Chief Claudia Messina. Do you know where I can find her?" Gina asked. The man's frown deepened, but either way he replied with a quick motion of his head towards the office in the far corner. "Thank you"

Gina moved through the sea of people and knocked on the glass door of the slightly open door to announce herself. The woman inside allowed her to come in and did the same thing the officer had done: eyed her from head to toe. Gina felt a bit out of place, probably self-conscious of her own attire despite not looking as bad as she thought. After all, it could have been ten times worse.

"I guess you're who we were expecting. Agent Gina Mendez?. Agent Peña would be here in a minute—is that a backpack you're carrying?" the Chief asked. Gina held the strap of her small backpack that she had on her shoulder and blushed lightly.

"Yeah—I lost my luggage, and this was the only thing I could find. I'm sorry if it seems unappropriated," Gina apologized. The woman shook her head but still looked a bit unconvinced at her own answer.

"It's not. We don't have a dress code here, no need to worry about that. The backpack makes you look like a teenager, though. You could use that to your benefit," The chief said. Gina knew what she meant. She had worked undercover several times, mainly because of her looking a few years younger than she actually was.

The door opened suddenly, and both women turned towards the man who had quickly stormed in. Javier Peña was a bit sweaty, perspiration ran through his forehead and his navy blue shirt was partially unbuttoned. He breathed heavily, blinked twice and wiped his eyes with the back of his hand.

He looked undeniably handsome.

"You wanted to see me, ma'am," Javier gasped a bit.

"Yes. This is Agent Gina Mendez, she'll be working with us on a case for a little while. I want you to tag along" The Chief said. Javier eyed Gina with a confused expression and no intentions of greeting her at all. This pissed him off, she could tell by the way he put his hands on his waist and shifted from one foot to the other.

"You mentioned nothing about having a new partner," Javier complained to his boss.

"Like I said, Agent Mendez will stay with us for a while, until we solve her case. You can go back to being solo after she leaves. In the meantime, you'll work with her and help her in whatever she needs. End of the discussion," the Chief said. Javier stormed out as quickly as he came in, and Gina didn't know whether to follow him or stay inside the office. "You can go,"

"Right-thank you" Gina replied, strolling out of the office. She found Javier with his back to her, going through a pile of papers on his messy desk and talking to himself. She could have sworn that he heard him curse, but she would not complain.

She stood by his side, away but still at arm's reach. The silence lasted for a few minutes, until he turned towards her, arms crossed on his chest and a frown adorning his face.

"Just how old are you?" Javier asked her suddenly. Gina was a bit taken aback by his inquiry, but understood that perhaps her whole attire had something to do with it. Either way, it wasn't exactly the type of question a partner should ask on the first day.

"Hi. It's nice to meet you too. Thanks for the warm welcome, I mean it's not every day that I'm received by a pissed off partner in a foreign country," Her words seemed to soften him a bit for his scowl disappeared and his arms relaxed.

"I'm sorry. I apologize for taking my anger out on you. Surprises are not my thing, and your arrival was a bit unexpected. I've gotten used to working without a partner now so—" Javier sighed and rubbed his temples. "Anyway, I'm following orders so whatever you have to tell me, just say it,"

"You don't have to sound so happy about it, but don't forget I'm following orders too. It's not like I wanted to move away from my family and change my entire lifestyle because I thought it would be fun" Gina replied sharply. Javier looked at her with narrowed eyes. He had never worked with a female partner before, all the women in his life had been just informants and those he often slept with. They did what he told them, spoke what he asked. No one was like Gina. No one raised her voice and spoke their mind like she had just a few minutes after they met.

"Alright then. I see we've started with the wrong foot. Please enlighten me with the case that took you all the way to Cali, if you will" Javier said with a touch of irony in his voice. Gina pursed her lips and refrained from making another comment since she figured the bickering would never stop. They were very different, at least in a matter of attitudes. She could see Javier wasn't used to having a woman as his equal.

Gina opened her backpack and dropped a handful of papers and manila folders on top of Javier's messy desk. He observed her in silence and a bit confused. When he had mentioned she should explain her case, he thought she would only talk, but she spread a series of blurry pictures and handwritten notes instead. Methodically written by her, he assumed, which explained the hint of excitement in her hazel eyes.

"This is Nazario De Santos. Drug lord extraordinaire. I've been tracking him down for months, me and my team. Last time we checked, he came to Colombia and is planning on sending a big shipment of cocaine to the states. New York, to be more specific," Gina explained. Javier followed her with close attention as she exposed her case. She spoke with so much intensity, the same as he had when he first started working for the DEA.

"Your team sent on your own, to track and likely capture a drug lord, why?" Javier asked her. She avoided his gaze at his question, focusing on the papers instead.

"I offered. I was trying to prove a point, amongst other things" Gina whispered. Javier could tell his question had made her uncomfortable and could only imagine the point she had to prove, perhaps that she could be word it of being an agent just like the rest of her male co-workers "But I'm here, and I won't leave until I take that guy with me"

"Do you have any other information about this man? Other than he's doing business in Colombia? Like where to find him, for starters," Javier asked.

"None. I don't know anyone, that's why the chief assigned me to you, you're the one who knows all the stuff and can point me to the right direction," Gina said.

"Okay, hold that thought for a minute. First, I'm no one's assistant. I have my case to work on. Second, don't expect me to go with you around town looking for a guy you're not even certain is here to begin with," Javier replied, a bit annoyed as turned around to light up a cigarette and sit on his desk as he did so.

Gina contemplated his movements with a strange sense of fascination. There he was, the agent everyone admired, even herself, being an asshole with someone he barely even knew. Suddenly she remembered all the rumours of him not being the nicest man, but she always levelled those comments as nothing but pure envy at his success. Now that she witnessed his behavior, she realized they were absolutely right. Javier Peña was a dick.

"I know you don't give a fuck about what's going on in my city, but this man has murdered women and children right in front of our officers. If he doesn't do that, his drugs do. I've seen it with my own eyes. So yeah, stay there smoking your damn cigarettes and being an asshole. I'll find another agent who actually has a heart," Gina snapped and gathered her papers from Javier's desk as quickly as she could. He looked at her in silence at her sudden outburst and a bit shocked at how quickly she had, apparently, figured out his sentiments. Though he didn't consider himself an asshole, but a straightforward man.

Sure he was harsh, but only when necessary and with those who deserved it.

Javier laid a hand on top of Gina's stopping her. She stared at him with wide eyes, at how bold his movement was and at the intensity of his gaze.

"I give a fuck" Javier responded, his eyes never leaving hers. It was really hard for Gina to look away "don't forget all the lives we lost here too"

"Does that mean you're going to help me catch this guy?" Gina asked.

"Do I have another option? I'm sure you're going to keep insulting me if I say no'' Javier said, half joking, half serious. Gina grinned and dragged her hand away from Javier's, blushing slightly and unconsciously as she did so.

"I promise I won't—unless you need it, of course," Gina replied with a smile.

"Welcome to Colombia, then. Partner" Javier said, putting down his cigarette and outstretching his hand for her to hold. She sighed and returned the gesture. His hand was strong and warm, in contrast with hers, and for some strange reason she felt electricity running from her fingertips to the tip of her head. Something she hadn't felt in a long time.

Despite how their first meeting had begun, it pleased Gina to know he at least sounded a bit less angry and more disposed to working with her. She just hoped things didn't go downhill.

xxxxxxx

There was one thing Gina didn't count on: Henry, her husband. They had a good marriage, back in the day, until she got promoted and started having more cases to solve, more work to do, less time at home and that's not what he wanted.

Henry wanted a wife, as he told her once, that stayed at home and took care of all things necessary. But Gina was an independent woman, even before they got married he knew she always did what she loved and she would not trade that for anything.

Now, moving to a whole different country, with a language he didn't speak nor he understood, it pissed Henry off more than usual. Gina sensed her marriage was falling apart, despite how much she tried to mend it.

"You're home late" Henry spoke from his spot on the couch, a beer in his hand and a not so joyful look on his face.

"Well, hello to you," Gina replied. Henry got up from the couch and hugged her tightly. She felt almost suffocated by the smell of alcohol and pushed him away, not before he sniffed her as if he was searching for an unfamiliar smell on her "what the hell are you doing?"

"Nothin', just checking" Henry replied with a shrug.

"Checking what? If I was with another man?" Gina questioned angrily.

"Rumor has it you're working with Javier Peña, is that true? Heard he's pretty attractive and charming-"

"And you assumed after meeting him for one day I would jump into his arms because, what? You think I'm that easy?" Gina snapped, walked past him, into the bedroom, not even willing to argue over his never ending jealousy each time she had a new partner, or even talked to another man. It was tiresome.

"Is he hot?" Henry asked as he followed her. She knew it was the alcohol speaking, and he might apologize in the morning like he did several times before after an argument that made no sense to her.

"I'm not having this conversation with you," Gina replied.

"That's a yes. That's why you were so excited to come here, you wanted to meet this guy—so famous—so perfect. Everything your husband isn't, right?" Henry said, raising his voice enough to make her head hurt.

"Henry, you're wasted. Go to bed, sleep this off. I'm tired, " Gina replied patiently, almost as if she were talking to a child.

Henry stood by the door until she went to bed, watching her like a hawk. He always did that, waited for her to invite him to bed, hug him and tell him she loved him no matter what. Gina did that the first two years of their relationship, but as time went by, no matter how much she tried to help him out, Henry didn't seem to care enough about her to stop drinking. They usually ended up like this; Gina sleeping all by herself, him sleeping on the couch with another bottle of beer in his hand and a lame apology that surfaced in the morning over breakfast.

No matter how much she cared about him, it tired her. Her heart and mind could only handle so much pressure, and now it was about to explode.


	2. Vanessa

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Javier gets help from one of his friends, an unexpected ally that makes Gina's feelings surface.

The relationship between Gina and Henry was deteriorating as days went by. She tried, futilely, to convince him Cali was a nice place to stay, to start a home, but he always bought up the drugs and the gangs into the conversation, which ended in a big argument and one of them storming out. It was normally him. 

Her first week in Cali hadn’t been the greatest one, and to make matters worse, Javier wasn’t helping either, at least with the case. 

All of those who had helped him before had abruptly turned their backs on him, scared to talk or probably were being paid not to say a word. Javier had insisted, rather brutally, with a few men that resulted in his knuckles bruised and no words spoken. 

At least he tried, and for that Gina was grateful.

“You should put some ice in that hand” Gina said. Javier looked down at his hand, absentmindedly “Does it hurt?” 

“Not that much. Is not as bad as it looks. Sorry I couldn’t get anything out of that guy,” Javier said. 

“It’s okay. I’m sure something will come up” Gina said, trying not to sound too disappointed as she spoke. Javier leaned into their joined desk and touched her hand so she would look at him. She felt the same electricity as the same day, though his fingertips grazed at her skin. 

“I have one last resource we might use. I’m not sure I have that on my side but we could try it” Javier said. The smile Gina gave him in return made his heart skip a beat. It was the strangest feeling, and he didn’t quite know how to handle having any sort of reaction from another woman. 

“Perfect. You lead the way” Gina spoke, promptly getting up from her seat, eager to go wherever Javier wanted to take her. He didn’t move an inch “What?”

“I don’t think it’s a place for a lady,” Javier said.

“Listen, if it’s a strip-club let me tell it wouldn’t be my first time in one of those. You can’t even imagine how many times I had to pick my husband up from them, ” Gina said. Javier frowned at the new piece of information she had shared with him. His eyes instantly went to her left hand and there it was; a wedding band he had failed to notice. That would change the course of everything. Not that he thought it could go somewhere.

“Yeah—No, it’s not that” Javier replied, getting up from his seat as well and putting his leader jacket on. He felt weird, uncomfortable even, and suddenly desperate to get out “I’ll go check, you stay here”

“What? No. I’ll go with you. If that person knows something then I want to be there” Gina insisted, despite Javier already holding his car keys in his hand and heading towards the door. She made one last attempt at convincing him to take her by holding his arm, which made him stop, turn around and move towards her.

Gina didn’t count on him being so close, so near she could smell the mix of cigarette and cologne.

“I told you, where I’m going is not a place for a married woman like you” Javier said, his voice a bit deeper, his eyes with a spark that would inevitably keep her up at night. He was so intense and Gina tried to keep her emotions at bay.

“This is my case, Javier. I will not let you push me to the side just because I’m a woman. I deserve to be in as much as you do,” Gina replied. He looked at her once more and stepped away.

“Fine, let’s go” Javier said and moved towards the door. Gina breathed out and eventually followed him, confused and most of all conflicted by the effects he had on her.

xxxxx

Javier drove his car in silence while Gina stared outside the window as the street passed by. She took the moment to absorb what Cali was all about, its people, the old houses and its surroundings. It was a beautiful place to live, probably raise kids if she could have some. A perfect place, except for all the drugs, of course.

After a few minutes Javier stopped the car in front of a lonely street, with several houses painted with bright colors and front yards decorated with fresh flowers. Outside one of them was a woman, dressed with a tight shiny skirt and an excessive amount of make-up. Next to her was an old man, around his fifties, handling a few bucks, which she accepted. As the man walked away the woman noticed Javier’s car, smiled rather widely and waved vigorously at him.

Gina eyed him with a frowned, suddenly understanding the reason he didn’t want to bring her along, nor mention who his informant was.

“A whorehouse? This is where you get your information from?” Gina asked in a rather loud tone.

“Vanessa is a good friend of mine. She knows things, and she likes to share them with me,” Javier replied casually.

“You’re her client and she tells you stuff when you’re here, with her” Gina stated. It couldn’t be any other way and she felt disgusted, though not totally surprise. He was a single, very attractive man, she figured woman like Vanessa jumped into his arms and drooled at his feet.

“You want information or not? Vanessa is the only one who can help us out” Javier replied. Gina pursed her lops and glanced at the woman, who refused to take her eyes off Javier. He was clearly enjoying the attention. Gina wasn’t.

“Fine. Let’s go talk to her, unless you want some privacy and in that case I’ll stay in the car,” Gina said, Javier smirked at her comment.

“Jealous, much?” Javier asked brightly.

“Disgusted, to be honest” Gina said and stared at the opposite view of the window. She could feel his eyes on her, glaring, waiting for her to say something else "You talk to her, I’ll wait here. I don’t want her to freak out if she doesn’t see a familiar face”

“I’ll tell her you’re my friend—” Javier suggested but Gina had already decided and just when she was about to speak again, Vanessa strode towards the car, peeking through her side of the window but ignoring Gina completely.

“Hello, Javi. I haven’t seen you in a while, babe. I’ve missed you” Vanessa spoke seductively, reaching out to caress Javier’s cheek, not even caring she had forced Gina to move away as much as she could.

“I’ve been a bit busy. Hey, this is my partner Gina Mendez” Javier introduced her. It was then when Vanessa noticed her presence. She gave her a wide smile.

“You’re pretty. No wonder why Javi doesn’t come to see me anymore,” Vanessa stated. Gina blushed profusely and found herself lost at words at the woman’s bold suggestion so much that she didn’t have time to say she had a husband. “So, what can I do for you? I’m sure this isn’t a pleasure visit,”

“We need information about a man. His name is Nazario de Santos—” Javier spoke, but Vanessa didn’t seem pleased with his question or the mention of that man at all.

“I don’t know who that guy is” Vanessa replied sharply. Javier glared briefly at Gina, who raised her eyebrows in response. They both knew she was lying.

Javier walked out of the car and Gina did the same, calmly, as Vanessa moved away from them as if they scared her.

“Vanessa, you and I have been friends for a long time, way before this went to hell. I’m not asking you to do anything different from you’ve done before, just get a bit of information and we’ll do the rest,” Javier spoke in a soft voice. Vanessa looked genuinely frightened at his request, and Gina knew exactly why. Nazario was not only a drug-dealer but also a vicious murderer.

“That man is fucking crazy,” Vanessa whispered.

“We know. That’s why we want to catch him and bring him to justice,” Javier explained. His friend seemed a bit relaxed at his words.

“What do you want me to do?” Vanessa asked.

“Just get anything you might hear on where we might find him. Words from a client, a friend or anyone,” Javier said. Vanessa seemed a bit unsure, but either way she accepted, perhaps because she trusted Javier enough to think he could protect her. “Just call me when you get anything, you know where to find me,”

Before moving away, Javier dropped a soft kiss on Vanessa’s cheek. A gesture that made the woman grin. Gina felt a bit awkward and out of place. Clearly they were more than friends, more than two people who sometimes had sex. They had a connection that she had rarely seen between an agent and his informant, and that thought caused Gina to stare more than she should, somehow hypnotized by the way his lips lingered a bit longer on her cheek.

Gina couldn’t stop the blush that appeared on her cheeks. She daydreamed with the man before her, with his lips upon hers, and somehow it felt utterly wrong. She was a married woman and despite how wrong things were at home; she felt her thoughts about another man’s touch were forbidden to her.

“You okay? You look a bit lost—” Javier asked. Gina hadn’t noticed Vanessa leaving or him approaching. She just stood there, frozen and embarrassed.

“Yeah, I’m okay, just—thinking about stuff. Are we ready to go?” Gina asked, turning her back towards Javier in hopes he wouldn’t see her rosy cheeks.

“Sure. We’re going to have to wait for Vanessa’s call. It cold take days or weeks,” Javier told her as they got into the car.

“As long as she calls, I can wait. You trust her, do you?” Gina asked.

“Absolutely. We’ll get this guy, don’t worry” Javier said as he turned the engine and drove away.

From the side mirror, Gina could see Vanessa standing by the door and there was something building at the pitch of her stomach. She didn’t know if it was a hunch that, for whatever reason, this was a life changing and crucial moment. What she wasn’t certain of if it was for better or for worst.


	3. Preparation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gina is ready to do her job, the hardest one yet. Is Javier ready too?

Chapter 3

Vanessa called three days later, from a payphone just a few blocks away from her house. She brought significant news that made Gina grin widely just thinking she was just a few steps to catching and close one of the biggest cases in her career. She was more than bound to be content. 

There was only one slight problem that didn’t make Javier happy at all, and he was already arguing with Gina in the middle of the office, with all the officers staring at them. 

“Mendez, Peña, my office now!” The Chief screamed from her office door. Both stared at each other, both still furious at one another, but followed their boss instructions “What the hell is going on?” 

“Could you please tell Peña to stop being such a macho man and let me do my job?” Gina started. Javier huffed at her words.

“Is it a bad thing that I’m trying to stop you from doing something fucked up?” Javier complained.

“It’s not fucked up and its not the first time I’ve done it. You’re just upset it’s me, the one getting the action,” Gina snapped back.

“That’s the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard” Javier spoke loudly. The boss interfered just in time to stop them from ripping their heads off.

“Okay, enough. Both of you” The Chief said. Gina pursed her lips and folded her arms across her chest, while Javier assumed his signature position of a very pissed off man with his hands on his waist. “Explain to me why were you arguing like a married couple”

Gina blushed at her comment, but more at how Javier eyed her from head to toe with raised eyebrows.

“Well—one of Javier’s informants gave us intel about De Santos whereabouts. Something we’ve been waiting for days and now he doesn’t want me to interfere,” Gina explained.

“If the boss knew what you’re getting yourself into, she would probably agree with me,” Javier said and turned to the Chief “De Santos will throw a party tomorrow, one that has two options for someone getting in; you need to be a drug lord or—a prostitute. She’s neither, obviously,”

“I gotta say Peña has a point,” The Chief said and raised a hand before Gina could say a word “This De Santos guy is as dangerous as I’ve read in your reports and having you inside could be a risk not only for you but for the entire case,”

“I understand your concern, Chief. I really do, but you also have to understand I’ve been chasing this man for months, with little to no resources, and now that I’m finally close, I can’t miss the opportunity just because someone is afraid,” Gina stated. The Chief seemed to contemplate her options for a little while.

“What do you suggest?” The Chief asked. Javier’s eyes went wide, and he opened and closed his mouth like a fish out of water.

“I’ll get in, undercover. Get the info I need about the shipment and walk out,” Gina said.

“It’s not that easy. You know how these guys are, as soon as they figure out you’re DEA, you’re dead,” Javier spoke.

“Then tell your friend to help me get in. Dress like her and act like her until I get what I want,” Gina replied. Javier sighed heavily and shook his head “Do you have a better idea?”

“I’ll tell Vanessa. She can get what you need without you actually having to be in that party,” Javier suggested.

“No, absolutely not. I’m sorry, I know you trust her, but I don’t. I can’t afford her not getting everything right. It has to be me,” Gina stated firmly.

“Are you fucking nuts? Lusty men will surround you, who will only see you as a piece of meat but do God knows to you,” Javier spoke, his cheeks flushed from rage.

"That’s a price I’m willing to pay” Gina replied. Javier turned to his boss for support one more time.

“Alright—I can say it sounds safe, but I trust you know what you’re doing,” The Chief said. Javier stormed out before they could say anything. Gina watched him leave, grab his jacket and be out of the building in seconds “Let him cool off. He worries too much. He’s not really used to working with an independent woman who doesn’t actually need his help,”

“Yeah, I can tell” Gina said. She knew Javier’s last partner had been a man who had moved out to Miami shortly after their last big hit. She understood his overprotective mode, but it didn’t mean she wasn’t annoyed by it.

“Talk to this woman, see if she can really be of help in you getting in. Ask Peña to bring her, I don’t want this to go south,” The Chief said.

“Yes, ma’am” Gina responded and walked out.

xxxxx

Javier came back to the office two hours later. Stinking of cigarettes and whisky. Gina couldn’t blame him, though, the whole situation still upset him, and she figured he would vent somehow.

“The Chief said you have to bring Vanessa in so she could help me get ready,” Gina said.

“I already told her. She’ll come over tomorrow” Javier said without raising his head from his papers, but still quite aware of her presence and how she was looking at him upon listening to his words.

“You went to see her?” Gina asked. Her heart felt tight inside her chest and he frowned before replying to her inquiry.

“Yes, I did, but not for the reason you believe. She wanted to know if you were in or not. I told her you were so—”

“Okay, thank you,” Gina said. Seeing Javier was yet unconvinced and quiet upset, Gina felt the need to calm him down, to make sure she could get the job done and properly “Listen, Javier. There’s no reason or you to worry. I wasn’t lying when I said I’ve done this before. It was a bit different, but no less risky. I know what I’m doing, trust me,”

He sighed, louder and heavier than he had intended.

“I trust you. I just don’t have the same feelings for the men in that party,” Javier confessed.

“Well, I’ll kick someone’s ass before they can touch me” Gina said with a grin. He replied with one of his own.

“I don’t doubt it. You should go home, get mentally prepared for tomorrow. Vanessa will tell you who to speak to so you won’t have to get close to anyone else” Javier said. Gina got up from her chair, grabbed her things and headed towards the door, not before laying her hand on top of Javier’s shoulder. He shivered, they both did.

“I’ll be okay, I promise,” Gina whispered “See you tomorrow,”

Javier watched her leave, the nervousness eating him alive. He wasn’t nervous for the case; he was apprehensive because he had been into those parties, undercover as well, and what he had seen there disgusted him to these days. Those men were brutal and aggressive. Javier had tried to stop one of them from taking advantage of a woman once, which ended up with him getting into a fight and kicked out.

He didn’t want to fathom anyone laying one finger on Gina, even if she could defend herself. He didn’t want anyone to look at her with hungry eyes or he wouldn’t be able to control his emotions.

That’s how much she was getting into his skin and it drove him nuts.

xxxxxx

There was a point during the day Gina started biting her nails and tapping her fingers against the wooden desk. She was nervous and anxious, though it wasn’t her first time undercover the situation had been completely unique. For starters, she had her partner by her side in case something went wrong. This time she would be on her own. She couldn’t count with Vanessa helping her out for fear of risking her life. She couldn’t take Javier either, despite how much he wanted to be in. His face was way too familiar and she couldn’t risk neither his life nor the case.

Now, after 5 hours of preparation, this time with the held of Vanessa, who was basically showing the faces of different men who were attendees to the party. Javier watched from afar, with a glass of whiskey and a cigarette in the other. He hadn’t said a word since Gina started getting ready, but either way he hadn’t taken his eyes off her. She could feel it at the back of her head.

“Last but not least, this is your target. HIs name is Damian Obregon.” Vanessa explained as she pointed to the last blurry black-and-white picture of a man, around his fifties, short hair and dressed in causal clothing “He’s one of Nazario’s closest friends and the one who has all the info about shipments and business. He’s kind of pervert though, so you gotta be careful,”

“How is she supposed to do that?” Javier spoke. Both women turned their heads towards him.

“Get him drunk. Give him a couple of glasses and he’s gonna be talking like there’s no tomorrow but also too wasted to do—stuff,” Vanessa said. Javier didn’t look satisfied with her answer.

“Great, as if a wasted man couldn’t take advantage of a beautiful woman, right?” Javier said with irony. Gina tried to ignore the word he used to describe her and shrugged.

“As if I’m gonna let them touch me” Gina said. Javier shook his head and got up from his desk, taking his jacket as he went. He was getting ready to leave when Vanessa stopped him.

“Where are you going? Don’t you wanna see the dress I brought for her?” Vanessa asked. Javier hesitated for a second.

There was the less angry part of his brain that wanted to stay. The excitement of seeing Gina wearing something else than just jeans was big. Then there was the part that was desperate to leave. Just the idea of her and a dress that could be far too inappropriate for any occasion and having other man drool over her was too much.

“Fine. I’ll say. I don’t trust with whatever you have. Remember, she has to look—sensual but not too much” Javier said. Vanessa winked at him, grabbed Gina by the arm, and they disappeared inside the ladies’ room.

Gina sighed heavily. There was a big difference between looking sensual, as Javier had put it, and looking sexy. She could wear a dress that wasn’t too revealing, a bit tight, but look decent enough and pretty. That was her definition of sensual. The dress she was wearing was the definition of sexy. It was short; she felt too exposed, and it was too much unlike her. Not to mention it wasn’t the most comfortable piece of attire.

Then again, that was the whole point, not looking like herself. It was a play-pretend situation and if she wanted to succeed; she had to do it right. Tight dress and high heels included.

“You look so freaking hot!” Vanessa exclaimed. Gina looked down at herself, at the strapless red dress on her body and no matter how often she pull it down it still showed too much skin “You’re gonna have so many dudes drooling over you. Including the one outside, and by that I mean Javi”

Gina felt her cheeks burn and Vanessa smile.

“I’m married” Gina said. Vanessa just shrugged.

“So? You’re still a beautiful woman, with a great body, who deserves to be worshipped once in a while and not by your husband. There’s nothing wrong with that and let me tell you, if Javi doesn’t have a heart attack when he sees you I’m gonna hit him real hard,” Vanessa said “Now, whenever you’re ready we can come out,”

“I don’t think I’ll ever be ready” Gina whispered. Vanessa gave her hand a light squeeze, like showing her she had her support and it meant a lot to her “Let’s go, then”

Gina stumbled out of the ladies’ room. The high heels were not making matters easier though she had wore some before, they were a lot more comfortable than a pair of stilettos.

Just like Vanessa had predicted, the minute they reached Gina’s desk, Javier’s reaction upon seeing her was going to be something she would never forget. He glared at her intensely, from the ponytail she wore, to the excessive amount of make-up Vanessa had put on her face. His eyes, though, lingered on the dress and the way it accentuated her curves and the cleavage that left little to the imagination.

There was a glow in his eyes that made Gina tremble.

“Doesn’t she look hot?” Vanessa asked, and she could have sworn she saw him swallow hard.

“You—yeah, you look nice,” Javier spoke softly.

“We’re ready to leave,” Gina said. Javier nodded slowly “Will you be here when I get back?”

“Of course—you be careful out there,” Javier said.

Vanessa grabbed her hand and pulled her towards the door. Gina shivered just knowing what would happen in the next couple of minutes. She looked over her should one last time, at Javier, who still stood next to his desk and shared one comfort smile with her. Somehow it calmed her, knowing that even though he wouldn be far away she still had his support.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For reference, this is the dress Gina was wearing.
> 
> https://images.app.goo.gl/mWKqxpGp33dhBneQ8


	4. The party begins

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gina goes undercover and believes she's prepared for everything, but things don't go as plan with deadly consequences.

Gina had forgotten the nervousness and the anxiousness that going undercover meant. She had done it before, only twice, but it was enough to teach her a few lessons. She had to be careful, extra careful this time, for she had no companion more than a prostitute who had gotten lost in the crown the minute they walked into the spacious house.

Vanessa had been fantastic at persuading the two gorillas guarding the door that Gina was part of her friends. One of the man, wearing an extra tight leather jacket, eyed her from head to toe. He couldn’t touch her, probably, but if he could he would have done things Gina didn’t want to think about. His expression spoke volumes as he licked his lips and his eyes glued to her cleavage. If Gina wasn’t uncomfortable before, she most certain was now.

As they made their way in, another man greeted Vanessa. Benicio was his name. Gina took the time to listen while he worshiped her, with his hands tight around her waist, pulling Vanessa toward his body. It felt so normal to her, how that disgusting man touched every bit of her exposed body and she didn’t flinch, nor he pushed him away. It might be part of her ‘job’ but it was still hard to put that a way of living.

Vanessa winked at her as Gina moved further into the crowd. And what a crowd it was. Most of them were men, drug lords, sicarios or any man who worked for Nazario. Some of them gathered around a table, gambling, drinking and consuming drugs as if their lives depended on it. She scanned the room, seeking for her target. Gina had memorized his face, the shape of his face and the color of his eyes. He had a distinctive scar on his left cheek, so when Gina spotted him in one table, she made a run for it.

The minute Damian Obregon saw her, his face lit. She didn’t know if it was the excessive make-up, or the extra sway she had put on her hips, or the tightness of her dress. Either way, he was infatuated and despite how disgusted she felt; it was the point of it all.

“Hola, cariño—” Damian spoke as he grabbed Gina’s hand and pulled her into his lap. If the situation were different, she would have pushed the hand he had put on her thigh away and pull out her gun. But she had to pretend she was enjoying herself, put on a facade just enough to get what she needed.

Gina smiled, and that gesture was enough to encourage him to kiss her. His lips crashed against hers firmly, fiercely and almost desperately. There was something deep inside Gina’s mind that screamed she should run, that she only meant to get closer without getting physical, but the man before her seemed desperate and eager to touch her and feel her in ways no one should.

She still forced him away from her, at least briefly, with the willpower of not wiping her mouth with the back of her hand, to erase the nauseated taste on her lips.

“Hey—is there any place we could go?” Gina said. Damian beamed, his eyes dark with lust and his hand still securely on her leg. “For some privacy. I don’t want us to do anything—in here”

“Of course. Whatever you want to you, babe” Damian replied.

Gina stood up and grabbed his hand, not really knowing where they were going but scanning the room, looking for a place to continue her plan. As they made their way through the crowd, Gina grabbed a bottle of wine forgotten from a table, giggling as Damian dropped sloppy kisses into her exposed shoulder or faking a laugh as much as she could. Her intentions were to get him drunk and get him to speak as soon as possible so she could leave, put everything behind her and forget everything she had to do.

They made it to the stairs and onto the second floor. Now it was Damian’s turn to guide her. He pulled her into the hallway and through one of the several decaying doors. She could hear noise from inside, moaning and the occasional female screams. Every step she took made her shiver, but not in the nicest way. She was concerned her plan wouldn’t work, nervous that the man might take advantage of her before she could get him wasted enough so he would talk. But there was no stepping back now.

He opened the door promptly and pushed her to wrinkling made bed, vigorously. Gina’s heart beat faster, sweat dripped down her forehead as he crawled towards her. He didn’t want to waste any minute, but she tried to delay the inevitable by rolling out of bed, almost cheerfully, and laughing along the way. Damian laughed too and as his laughter echoed through the walls, Gina grabbed the bottle of wine, taking a long sip and letting the liquid burn down her throat. She supposed if she wanted to be convincing; she had to take the first step.

“Are you gonna share that, sweetie” Damian spoke. Gina gave him the bottle, he drank hastily and nonstop it surprised her he didn’t choke. “Now, why don’t you come here and give me—some of you”

“Of course—babe” Gina said as seductively as she could and as excited as her brain allowed her to.

Damian disregarded the half drunk bottle of wine, stumbled out of the bed and walked towards her. Gina smiled, though momentarily as she pressed herself against the wall. He made no attempt at moving away and she felt the fear travelling up and down her body at how close he was. She couldn’t do it, she couldn’t pretend she was having fun when the only thing she wanted was to run away. If she didn’t make a move, any move, everything would end up badly.

Javier was right. She wasn’t ready.

“Are you scared?” Damian asked, narrowing his eyes at her. Gina swallowed the lump in her throat and remained silent. But he was having none of that “Quien eres?”

“What—are you saying?” Gina spoke, her voice trembling. Damian grabbed her by her throat, pressing her further into the wall behind her. She wanted to fight her release, but he was stronger, bigger and more intoxicated than she was. The grip around her throat became strong and the lack of air was making Gina’s brain not able to process anything accurately. She had to plan her escape, but she also needed information.

The whole situation left her with no other choice but to fight, to put all of her physical strength into her limbs. While Damian focused on choking her, Gina kicked him between his legs to which he fell on his knees, screaming in pain. She breathed in, coughing when the air hit her lungs, and scanned the room for something to defend herself with. Until her eyes landed on the bottle he had put behind. Making a quick run, she crashed it against his head before he could get up from the floor. Using what was left of the object, she pointed it straight to his throat, not hesitating for one second.

“Nazario De Santos—tell me about him” Gina asked breathlessly. Damian refused to speak, so she squeezed the glass against his throat more “Talk. Now”

“He’s—not here. You won’t find him.” Damian replied. Gina moved closer to him, her face inches apart from his. This time she was not afraid, for this time she was in control. “He’s—in Medellin. That’s all I know”

“There’s going to be a shipment for the States. I want you to tell me when and where” Gina insisted. Damian pursed his lips and narrowed his eyes at her, but refused to speak. Gina was getting tired of his lack of cooperation. “Listen to me, motherfucker. I’m gonna keep pressing this bottle against your skin until you bleed out like a pig, so you better talk now because no one is gonna save you” “

“Fine! In five days. The plane will leave in five days, at 3 am. It’s a commercial flight from Cali to New York—Nazario is gonna be there—and his men too” Damian spoke. Gina pulled the bottle away, and the man breathed out, relieved he was no longer in danger and laughed mockingly at her “If you think you’re gonna live to see this, you’re wrong. The minute you walk through this door you’re dead, bitch”

Gina glared at him. He was completely right, which was what made the whole situation even worse. Gina could indeed walk away, leave Damian to his luck and wait for the worse. She had an entire team by her side if something were to happen; she was certain she could count on Javier too. Or she could pick the option that was gradually building inside her brain.

Gripping the glass in her hand, she pounced on him, pushing her weapon against his neck, stabbing him severely and most definitely painfully, releasing all the stress he made him feel prior to the current situation. Blood poured out of him and no matter what he did to stop it, nothing worked. She could see the fear in his eyes, even the despair. But Gina had no other option. Things could have been different, much different, but at the moment it was her life or his.

Gina breathed out as she stumbled towards the door, removing her shoes as she did so. She took one last look at the man laying on the floor and swallowed the lump on her throat as Damian died before her eyes.


	5. Everything escalated quickly

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gina has to deal with the consequences of her actions. Javier is there to help her. Does this mean they'll be more than partners?

Javier paced around his desk, smoking, drinking and staring at his watch every five seconds. It had been two hours since Gina and Vanessa had walked through the door, two hours since he felt his heart was about to come out of his chest. He wasn't the nervous type of guy, not about something job related at least, because his last companion had been a very independent man, who could do things on his own without Javier’s help.

With Gina, everything was completely different. He couldn't help but feel as if she had to be protected, as if she no harm should ever come to her and no man (or anyone) could say or do something against her. His overprotective switch was on constantly, and he felt there was no way he could turn it off.

Gina dragged her bare feet across the corridor. She had lost all the energy to move faster the minute he had stepped out the house. Her brain was still processing the whole situation, the death of Damian and how he almost took advantage of her. The image would certainly be painted forever in her head, and the smell stuck in her nostrils.

When she made it to the office Javier was waiting for her, like she had asked him, like he had promised. He was smoking, as usual, but he carried a tiresome expression that changed into pure concern when he saw her, when he noticed her hands covered in blood. Javier put the cigarette off quickly and approached her, glaring at her from head to toe. His fingertips barely grazed at her face, searching for any wound or any scratch, and she closed his eyes at his touch, his hands feeling warm in contrast with her cold cheeks.

“What the hell happened?” Javier asked. His tone was soft, despite the urgency of his inquiry.

“He’s dead—I killed him” Gina whispered. She could not move, her entire body in shock and her mind absolutely clouded. Javier grabbed her, softly, by the arms and guided her towards his desk. “I just killed a man—”

“Hey listen, I know you wouldn’t have done it if there wasn’t another option” Javier said.

She sighed heavily, loudly and deeply. There was so much on her brain that she was having a hard time processing everything correctly. Who was she to think someone deserved to die? No one. She could have walked away, probably leave Damian unconscious on the floor, but her life had been in danger, her reaction had been the one they taught her at the academy. The one that ignored all the consequences and forced her to follow her instinct.

Either way, the weight of killing someone would be heavy in her heart for as long as she lived. After all, it was the first time she had taken someone’s life.

“He was—rude. Barely gave me time to breathe before he would throw me to a bed and tried—” Gina stopped mid-sentence, swallowing the lump in her throat. Just thinking about what might have happened made her tremble.

“Did he hurt you?” Javier asked. Gina moved her head to the side, exposing her neck for him to see the redness from Damian’s grab. “son of a bitch—-”

“I had to push him away and defend myself. I had no other choice. Javier, I really didn’t—-” Gina whispered, tears rolling down her cheeks. She was desperate to explain, as if she had committed the biggest mistake ever, as if she was trying to explain herself after making the biggest mistake ever. HIs reaction took her by surprise since they hadn’t had the greatest relationship from the start; he wiped the tears with his thumb, letting his hand linger just a little against her cheek

“This is not and will never be your fault, okay? That man was a pig. If you hadn’t done it, someone else would’ve” Javier reassured her. “Come on, let me take you home, okay? You need some rest. We can talk about everything tomorrow when the chief is here”

Gina got up from her sit, pulling down her short dress as she went. Javier, noticing how distress she was, took off his jacket and put it on her shoulders. She replied to the gesture with a smile, enjoying the warmth it provided and inhaling the scent that so absolutely him.

xxxxxx

Javier drove towards her house in silence. Neither of them were in the mood to utter a word. Gina was tired, too overwhelmed by everything, and Javier was too worried about her wellbeing and the outcome of her undercover case. He had seen, more than once, how in terrible shape some agents had ended after a short period of work. Some had seen too many terrible things to discuss them in public, other had been brave enough to share their stories, getting shocking reactions from his peers. Only a few had been powerful enough to go back to work as if nothing ever happened. He hoped Gina would be one of them.

He stopped in front of an old house that resemblance of the one his old partner used to live. Javier could hear Gina breathe out, as if she was dreading getting home, despite how tired she was.

“The first time I went undercover, my partner was with me” Gina spoke. She was facing the window, but Javier could see a tear falling down her cheek. She was still in commotion and probably will be for a while “He was like you. Smart, strong, confident. I remember he held my hand all time while, he had said we had to stick together in case something went wrong. We had each other—today, I had no one. I couldn’t ask for help. I couldn’t scream because my partner wasn’t there. You weren’t there, and it was my fault—”

Her last words hit Javier deep. She was blaming herself again for everything that gone wrong with the operation, even though it appeared to be a success. He felt a pang of sadness and the undeniable desire to hold her so close to him, to whisper that everything would be okay, that they were in this together, but he couldn’t. There was a barrier between them, and Javier was smart enough not to cross that boundary.

“I’m still here” Javier said. Gina turned around to look at him, eyes still watered and sad. “Despite not being there with you, I have your back, no matter what. I mean, that’s what partners are for”

“Thank you—for everything. For waiting” Gina whispered.

“I made a promise and I always keep them” Javier replied.

They stared at each other for a few minutes in silence. He had an indescribable look on his face, but it was very different to the one he always carried whenever she was around. He didn’t look angry or displeased. Gina couldn’t quite pinpoint what made him change, what made him feel so worried about her wellbeing, about her feelings, but she was questioning her own at the moment. The erratic beating of her heart didn’t make things easier either.

“Well—I think I should get inside. Henry must be worried,” Gina said. The mention of her husband put a soft frown on Javier’s face, as if suddenly he remembered he might step into dangerous territory with her. “Thanks for the ride”

“Yeah, you’re welcome. I’ll see you tomorrow” Javier replied.

Gina walked out of the car, barefoot, shoes on her hands and Javier’s jacket on her shoulders. She could feel his gaze from the distance, and it took her all her willpower not to look at his handsome face again.

xxxxx

Her house was dark, expect for the soft light provided by an open curtain. Henry sat on the couch, aware of how Gina tiptoed towards the bedroom, turning the light on just to see her almost disappear through the door. He glared at her, like those looks he used to give her whenever she was late from work and had skip dinner or had forgotten to call. He was furious, more so when he saw the outfit she was wearing.

“Why are you dressed like a whore? Is that your new job?” Henry questioned, circling her like a hunter to her prey. She could smell the alcohol from her every inch of his body.

“I was undercover” Gina replied flatly, knowing full well that if she replied other way, the arguments would never stop.

“Oh so, how believable was your job? Did you fuck anyone while you were there, like say Javier Peña?” Henry asked bitterly. Gina gave him a questionable look before replying.

“Javier again, seriously? How many times do I have to tell he’s my partner—”

“As long as necessary. Because that man is in your life and I don’t like it. I don’t like him looking at you while you’re dressed like a tramp” Henry hissed.

“You know what? If you can’t trust me, then you can go to hell. I’m done explaining how an undercover works means and how Javier has nothing to do with this” Gina said as she turned around towards their room. Henry grabbed her arm before she could move, squeezing harder than he was supposed to.

“If I see him around you again, I’ll hurt him so much he’ll regret ever laying his eyes on you” Henry whispered in a harsh tone. Gina pulled her arm away, a bit scared at her husband violent reaction.

“Go fuck yourself, Henry.” Gina replied, closing the door behind her and locking it.

Henry stood in the middle of the room, heart racing with anger.

Gina sat on her bed, heart beating with fear. Not for her, but because she knew when her husband made a warning, he usually meant to keep it.


	6. The aftermath

Gina came back to work as if nothing ever happened. As if her mind wasn’t clouded with the image of Damian dying at her feet. Javier had told her she needed to move on, that someone dying at her hand was never something easy to forget but with time she would and it could be less complicated if she had someone she could talk to. She had refrained from mentioning her husband, and he had not mentioned who had helped him overcome his own conflicted mind.

Things could have been a lot easier for her, if it wasn’t because the only support she was supposed to have was gradually turning his back on her. Her whole marriage was slowly falling apart, though she didn’t know truly when the breaking point would happen.

“Had a goodnight?” Javier asked, smoking his usual morning-everyday cigarette. The smell would have bothered her before, but after being around him for a while she had gotten used to it, it was part of him.

“I slept, if that’s what you were wondering” Gina replied as she took off her jacket. Javier’s eyes stopped at a brand new red spot on her upper arm, something he was certain she didn’t have the night before.

“What happened with that” Javier asked, pointing at her arm. Gina looked down at herself and shrugged and avoided his gaze “Did something happen with your husband that I should know about?”

“We—had an argument. He was wasted and worried. That was not a delightful combination, I tell you that much. He said a few things, I tried walking away from the room and grabbed me. That’s it” Gina explained, though her words didn’t sound convincing to Javier at all.

“Is this the first time?”

Gina lifted her head enough to look at him, at his eyes, at his concerned face. A shrugged adorned his face, like the one she had seen before he went undercover. The way he watched her made Gina believe he would not stop asking her until she offered the truth. Whatever that might be.

“Yes. He has a drinking problem but no the kind that would make him aggressive. Henry wouldn’t try to hit me even if he could,” Gina said. Javier nodded nonchalantly, half convinced still.

Before they could continue their conversation, The Chief called Gina’s name from her office. She sighed heavily, already knowing what the conversation might be about and preparing the thousand explanations that followed regarding Damian’s death. Gina wasn’t sure if she was prepared to voice everything to her boss.

Just when she moved towards the office, one last touch on her hand made her turn around. A touch that made her heart tight; Javier was trying, silently, to reassure her everything was going to be okay, and that was exactly what she needed.

XXXX

The Chief waited, sitting behind her impeccable, carefully arranged desk. Gina had been on a boss office many times before, normally to give insight about a case another fellow DEA was working on. Never something she did herself. It was usually her partner’s doings; it was usually his name written first and then hers, despite the effort she might have put on the job itself.

This time was different. This time Gina had been present when everything ensued, when the commotion happened because she had been the main protagonist of it all. Gina and Damian, that is.

“Have a sit” The Chief said. Gina sat in front of her, hands on her lap, stiff as a board. “I got some reports about what happened in that party, not with much detail, but I was told they found Damian Obregon dead. A stab on his neck. His friends went looking for him after he was missing for several hours and later found in an empty room. Any comment you wish to make on that?

Gina looked down at her hands, nervous, sweaty “I tried to do everything Vanessa told me, getting him drunk so he could talk, but before that could happen he wanted to do some other things—I couldn’t let him. When I tried to stop him he figured I was hiding something, so before he could so anything else I defended myself—with a broken bottle”

She rubbed her temples and sighed. Gina wasn’t sure if the whole situation upset her, disappointed, or both. “Did you at least get the information that you needed?”

“Yes, the shipment will happen in 5 days. A commercial flight will leave at 3 am, Nazario and his men will be there” Gina said.

“Alright. I have to say it was very brave what you did. It takes a lot of courage to get into that world and leave in one piece.” The Chief said.

“I did my best ma’am.”

“Perfect. Now, while we wait for Nazario, there’s something I need you to do” The Chief said “Be careful. If any men from that party recognize you, things could get rough. Until we get this man out of the way, your route has to be from your house to the office”

“So, you want me to hide now?”

“No, of course not. You just need to be safe. I’ll talk to Peña and tell him to drop you home every day, just to be sure”

Gina grimaced at her boss’ words. She could already see Henry’s reaction upon seeing Javier every single day at their household, even outside. They hadn’t seen each other face to face, and he already hated him.

“There’s no need—”

“It’s an order, for both of you” The Chief stated.

“Yes, ma’am” Gina replied. The Chief pointed towards the door and she calmly walked outside, where Javier waited for her not so patiently. Before she could utter a word, the boss called his name. Gina just shrugged, not explaining what the boss wanted from him.

Javier walked pass her and now it was her turn to wait.

XXXX

The day was already ending and Gina was more than ready to go home, take a shower and leave absolutely everything behind. As much as she tried, she couldn’t focus on anything, so her day had turned into staring at a blank spot on the wall or watch as Javier typed his endless reports. The latest had become a fascinating thing to do. She couldn’t deny how attractive he looked with a cigarette hanging from his lips and a soft frown adorning his handsome face, completely oblivious to the chaos and the noise surrounding him.

“See something you like? You’ve been staring at me for five solid minutes. Unless you like to see how I type my reports, you wouldn’t be the first woman who likes weird stuff—” Javier spoke without lifting his head from his task at hand. Gina blushed and shook her head vigorously, embarrassed to be caught.

“Funny. I was just—thinking about stuff, not you. Of course not, you.” Gina lied, unable to erase the blush from her cheeks. Javier reclined in his chair and smirked. “I think it’s my cue to go home. I’ll leave you with your beloved reports,”

“I’ll go with you—”

Gina got up from her chair, and Javier did the same. She had forgotten, for a moment, about the deal the boss and he had made to keep her safe. She stopped him “No, it’s okay. Listen, I better take a cab and then you’ll tell the boss that you gave me a ride, she’ll never know”

Javier frowned “Why? I don’t have a problem. I have my car outside—”

“Yeah, it’s not you. It’s Henry” Gina replied quickly, before he could make another move. “Truth is—he doesn’t like you, and I’ve already had too many issues with him and my job to add another one to the list. I’m sorry.”

“How come he doesn’t like we’ve never met?”

Gina raised her hair brows “Have you looked yourself in the mirror lately? My husband is not too happy there’s a handsome man working with me.”

“So you think I’m handsome. That’s why you were staring at me then?” Javier joked. Gina just grinned in reply. He would never know this were her thoughts too, she wasn’t blind. “Don’t worry about it. If I can drive you home, can I at least walk you out?”

“Fine, you can keep me company while I wait for a cab” Gina said.

“Me and my handsome self, of course” Javier joked again.

They walked together towards the cool night, arms almost touching as they stepped outside, but neither of them intending to move away. It took only a couple of seconds for Javier to light up a cigarette, to make the wait less uncomfortable for him and to have something else to focus on instead of looking at Gina and how her knee-length floral dress accentuated her curves. Her outfit might not be appropriated for work, but she looked just as beautiful.

A few minutes later a car stopped in front of her, Javier opened the door for her and she smiled in return. She turned around before getting in “Thank you, for staying and for not driving me home. Hopefully, the boss won’t be too mad”

Javier shrugged “I’ll talk to her. Maybe convince her you and your husband had a date”

“Good night, Javier. I’ll see you tomorrow”

What Gina did next was unplanned, probably uncalled for and unnecessary, but his proximity didn’t let her think straight; she took one step towards him and dropped a soft kiss on his cheek, letting her lips linger just a few seconds more than she should. Before she let him utter a word, she closed got into the car and it drove away, leaving a very confused Javier standing on the sidewalk, heart beating insanely hard inside his heart.


	7. Nazario de Santos

Nazario De Santos paced around his small, hot and messy office for the fifth time. He was losing his patience; wasting his energy, and that always resulted in someone either dying or getting hurt. He had planned everything thoroughly; he had his men, his merchandise, his plane and his business running. To him, there was nothing that could ruin his plans in the slightest. He was after all one of the most power drug lords left in Cali. He liked to brag about it, liked to remind everyone who was in charge, whether they were their men or an outsider. Gina Mendez knew it, she wasn’t indifferent to his power, but she chose not to care and that mere act had caused him more than a few men.

He would not let that happen this time.

That’s why when Damian Obregon had showed up dead at one of his parties, he knew it had been Gina. After all, Damian was his right hand, his partner, his best friend. No one would be bold enough to touch him, except her.

“Señor—” a man spoke from the door. He walked in calmly, almost with fear in every step. “La encontré. A Gina Mendez, señor”

Nazario stopped in his tracks and strode towards his man “Where? Where is that bitch—”

“I saw her with another agent. We follow her like you asked us—she’s with Javier Peña, señor. We can’t kill her. She’s untouchable,” the man.

“Untouchable. Untouchable—” Nazario whispered the word repeatedly as he rubbing his temples and paced around the room in exasperation “No one. NO ONE is untouchable but me, you fucking get that! I want Gina Mendez dead”

“Sir—we can’t. She’s from the DEA and—” the man spoke, but Nazario didn’t let him finish. He knew where he was getting at, he knew the explanations, the manhunt, the consequences. He knew it all. Either way, he had to figure out a way to teach her a lesson, something that can teach her to stay as far away from them as possible.

“Do you know where she lives?” Nazario asked. The man nodded in response “Pay her a visit. Teach her who the boss is”

“Si, señor”

XXXX

Gina walked into her house and closed the door behind her. She didn’t move, just threw her head back and closed her eyes for a few minutes, cursing the boldness of her actions. The soft kiss on the cheek she had given Javier would, most likely, remain on her brain for a long while, being the first actual physical contact they ever had, and perhaps would have. He had been polite enough not to move away, to let her lips linger on his face for as long as she wanted to, and Gina would never understand why. Like she wouldn’t understand why she was so conflicted if she was a married woman. Javier was a very attractive man, but her heart had to belong to someone else. Right?

Shaking her thoughts away, Gina moved further into her house, towards the living room. Dropping her purse on the couch, she walked into the kitchen but stop midway.

There was something odd about the room, about the house. She was not alone.

“Henry, are you home?” Gina yelled, getting no reply in return.

She walked from one room to the other, eyes wide open in case something went wrong. After a few minutes of giving up her search, she stopped midway when a something cross her path. Trying to retrieve her gun from the waistband of her jeans, her movement came to a halt when something cold touched the back of her head.

“Turn around, babe. I wan to see your face” the man behind her spoke. Gina obeyed him, turning around nonchalantly and with her hands up. She did not know who the guy was, but had the impression it might have been related to her only case in the city.

“Who are you?” Gina asked. The man approached her so she could be at arm’s reach. With one of his hands he grabbed a string of her long brown hair between his fingers while with the other he gripped the gun tightly against her chest.

“You don’t remember me but oh I remember you” the man spoke with a tone that made Gina shiver but not in a good way.

Then she remembered. The party, Nazario and Damian. He must have tracked her down and sent one of his men to pay her a visit, since he couldn’t do it himself. Gina was at least content that whatever they could do, she would fight back with all of her power and they wouldn’t be able to kill her.

“What do you want?” 

“I was told I should pay you a visit--” the man replied with no intentions of putting any space between them. “And I’m a very obedient man” 

Gina pulled herself away from his grasp, but that only increased his interest. She felt trapped, terrified and powerless without her gun and with no one to help her out. She wished she would have accepted Javier’s offer to drive her home. 

“Now, why aren’t you a wonderful woman and move towards your living room, babe? I don’t want to stain this impeccable walls with blood” the man said. When Gina refused to move, he pushed her and pushed her until they left her room. 

The living room was not empty. There was a second man waiting, a gun in his hand as well. Gina took a long look at them, memorize every little detail of their faces,the color of his hair and even any visible scar. If she was making out alive, she was going to track them down and make them pay. 

The man behind her pushed her to the floor and with no hesitation or contemplation he gave her a hard kick on her stomach, causing her to lose the ability to breathe for a few seconds. She didn’t have time to recover when another kick came, this time from the other man. It took her longer this time to find air, but when she did; she got a hold of whatever she has around to get up. 

She did, but it was only for a little while for the man in front of her slapped her hard enough for her to lose balance. Gina could sense the blood falling down her nose and she wiped it away with the back of her hand. 

“Don’t get too comfortable, babe. We’re just getting started” the second man spoke. Soon his words were followed by a second blow to her face. She could taste the blood inside her mouth and her eyes watered from the pain. 

Gina lost track of time. Her body had gone numb when the third, fourth, fifth blow came. Even though her intention was to fight, they outnumbered her sore, and they were stronger in contrast to her petite frame. 

They stopped punching her midsection when she didn’t move and in her mid-unconsciousness Gina could hear them talk, could hear the panic in their voices thinking they had gone too far and then there was silence. 

It took her a while to recover and when she did; she wasn’t alone anymore. Panic washed over her, but when she felt tender hands caressing her head and whispering comfort words, she knew she wasn’t in danger anymore. 

XXXX

The call had woken Javier out of his slumber. He had, once again, fallen asleep on his couch, with his clothes on and a half-smoked cigarette in his hand. He didn’t know how he got there; the moment was a blur. All he was certain of were the ambulance and the police cars outside Gina’s house and the yellow tape around it. It didn’t give him any clue of what might have happened, but it drove him insane. 

Javier almost ran into the house, pushing a few officers out of the way until he could eventually reach where the commotion was and it 

Gina was sitting on the couch, a woman was sitting in front of her so Javier could only see her face when he was closer and the sight was not pretty at all; she carried a parted lip, a cut on her left cheek and another one on her forehead. Not to mention the dry blood that was being cleaned out at the moment. 

“It looks worse than it is” Gina told him as he walked towards her, hands on his waist and a frown on his face. 

“What happened?” 

An officer approached him before Gina could give him an answer, nor that the amount of pain allowed her to explain anything “Someone broke in. A neighbour found her on the floor, bleeding. They had beaten her pretty hard”

“By who?” Javier asked. Gina avoided his eyes, and he got the answer he was looking for “Nazario found you, how?”

“I don’t know—they were here when I got in. Maybe the followed me. I don’t know, Javier” Gina replied. The paramedic cleaning her face moved away and Javier could finally inspect her face. The anger boiled inside him.

Henry arrived a few minutes later, shocked at the sight, angry at the state of his house more than anything else “What the fuck happened? Was this because of you?”

Gina stepped in before Henry could get into his usual drunken self “I’m glad to see how worried you are about me. I’m okay, in case you were wondering”

“How many times I’ve told you this job is going to destroy us? Look at yourself, you look like a fucking mess” Henry told her. Gina pursed her lips together and closed her eyes as a wave of pain came to her.

Javier approached, standing between them with the fear he might get more aggressive than necessary. “Hey, give her a break. She’s been through enough”

Henry eyed Javier from head to toe with an expression that could only be described as pure hatred. They’d never seen each other face to face, Javier had only heard about Henry for what she had told him, nothing more and nothing less. Henry had drawn a conclusion regarding Javier on his own, and that was that he hated him.

“Did I ask you anything? Go mind your fucking business, man. This isn’t your house,” Henry replied brutally. Javier walked two steps closer to him, their bodies and noses almost touching. He could smell the alcohol on his breath.

“This might not be my house, but she’s my friend and my partner. If she needs my help I’m gonna be around, deal with it” Javier hissed. His words were enough to send Henry into madness; he pushed Javier out of the way and punched him straight to his face, sending him backwards into the floor. 

Gina pushed Henry forcefully, yelling as she went, “What the hell is wrong with you?!”

“That motherfucker is not welcomed in my house!” Henry snapped back. Two cops approached Javier, helping him on his feet as he wiped the blood from his parted lip. He hadn’t replied to Henry’s attack the same way because he was wasted and wanted to blame the alcohol for his actions. “Get the fuck out!”

“No, no. He’s not going anywhere, you hear me? You. Get your stuff and get the fuck out. I don’t want to see you like this” Gina told him. Henry kept eyeing a very bloody Javier with the same anger he felt before. If she didn’t step between them, Gina feared he would attack him again. “I said leave, Henry. Get out”

Henry stared at her one more time and walked away, closing the door with more force than necessary on his leave. Gina stood by the door, unable to turn around, embarrassed by the spectacle her husband had displayed, but more ashamed by harm he had caused Javier for no apparent reason. 

“Just so you know, your husband is a dick” Javier whispered in her ear. She didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.

Gina turned around gradually, a concern look on her face “I’m sorry—he’s normally not that aggressive”

“Don’t worry about it. This isn’t my first time dealing with a crappy husband” Javier said. 

“Still, you didn’t deserve that—“

“And you don’t deserve to be treated like shit for no reason” Javier stated. Gina remained in silence as the crowd casually dispersed and were left alone in the middle of her room. She knew Javier meant well.

“Let me take care of that blood for you”

Gina walked passed him and into the bedroom where she took a quick look in the mirror. There was one thing Henry was right about; she looked like shit. When she returned to the living room Javier had taken a sit on her couch, where she had been before, and she used her coffee table as a chair so they were at eye level. The corner of his lips was turning red. There was a minor cut Gina tried to clean as softly as she could, but he still winced when she touched him. It took her a little over five minutes, all the way Javier didn’t tear his eyes away from her. Having all of his attention made her nervous.

“You’re truly brave, you know?” Javier suddenly spoke. Gina was taken aback by his words, it was the first time someone described her like that and she wasn’t sure if those words actually fit her “It must be hard, dealing with a shitty guy on a daily bases”

“Henry is not bad, Javier. He has his issues—we both do. He’s dealing with it in his own way,” Gina explained as she put away the first kid-aid and avoided his gaze at all costs.

“No matter what his problems are, he has no right to treat you like that. You’re his wife. He’s supposed to be supportive. You’re brave, beautiful and smart—I don’t understand why you keep dealing with all of this” Javier said. 

“I’m getting divorce” Gina stated promptly. Javier raised his eyebrows. “I haven’t told him yet, there’s still paperwork to be written, but I spoke to my lawyer before we came here. He knows if something happens—its over”

“I’m sorry”

“You’re right about something. One can only deal with this for so long and I’ve done this for 5 years, I can’t do it anymore” Gina whispered with sadness in her voice. Javier reached out for her hand. His touch felt like electricity in her body. It seemed right and wrong at the same time. He might be what she needed, but also what she shouldn’t have. She dragged her hand and moved away from his grip, the guilt washing over her, after she was still a married woman. Soon to get divorced, but her husband was still out there. “I—I think you should be okay with that ointment. It will be better in the morning”

Javier nodded “I should probably go”

“Yeah. I think its too much excitement for one day. I need to take a shower and rest for a little while. You don’t mind closing the door after you leave, right?” Gina asked, her back partially to him. She didn’t want to look at his face, at the pity in his eyes, and feel the need to run into his arms.

“Sure—I’ll see you tomorrow” Javier said. 

Gina disappeared inside her bedroom as hastily as she could and Javier remained on the same spot, brain working twenty miles per hour, heart pounding inside his chest. The door to her room was closed but he could hear the water on and it could have been his cue to leave, but somehow he froze. There was a moment of hesitation in his mind. A part of him wanted to leave, to give her the space she needed. There was the other, the louder one that screamed how much he wanted to be closer to her.

Which one should he listen to? 


	8. A moment in time

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gina and Javier's relationship has changed. For the best? Most certainly.

Gina stared at herself in the mirror. Her long brown hair was a mess, frizzy and extra curly. There were dark circles forming underneath her eyes from the lack of sleep, Nazario’s case was consuming her little by little but it was the price she had to pay to get what she wanted. 

She wrapped the towel tight around her chest, combing her hair back as she made her way out of the bathroom. It surprised Gina to see her companion standing in the middle of her small living room, believing he was already out. He was standing with his hand on his hips and a conflicted face adorning his handsome face. She could perceive he was struggling internally, as if he wanted to say something, but he couldn’t find the words. 

“Javier—I thought you had left by now. Is there something wrong?” Gina asked. Javier remained speechless at his spot, glancing down at his boots until he moved towards her. Her heart was pounding fast and her stomach on a tight knot just by the mere sense of being so exposed, just with a towel and the wetness of her body. She hadn’t felt that intimidated by anyone in years. 

“When you got into that club, wearing that dress and those heels—I felt things I hadn’t felt in a very long time, for anyone” Javier said. He raised his head enough to stare at her, his eyes roaming her body as if he were picturing her with that infamous dress, and she trembled at his look of desire she hadn’t seen in a long time. It surprised her he still remembered “Just the notion of you being there with that man made my blood boil. I was not upset because you went there on your own, I was upset because they could look at you in a way I couldn’t—in a way that I still can’t” 

“Why are you telling me all this—now?” Gina asked in a whisper. Javier rubbed a hand over his face and sighed.

“Because—because Gina, I can’t stop thinking about you. Because I didn’t lie when I said you deserve better.” Javier said. He moved a few steps closer to her and Gina instinctively wrapped her towel tighter around her body. Feeling more exposed than she should be.

“Are you telling me you’re the man that I need? A womanizer? A flirty?” Gina asked. He looked down at the floor, not ashamed but accepting the truth in silence “I’ve had one of those in my life Javier, and look where it got me”

“Henry is an asshole, Gina. I’m not a better man than he is but I will never lay one finger in your body, ever” Javier said. Now it was Gina’s turn to sigh. She was so conflicted with her own emotions, with what Javier was making her feel, that she didn’t know whether to walk away or jump into his arms.

“What do you what from me?” Gina asked, her question a plea.

“Right now—right this moment, I just want you. Is that a bad thing?” Javier said. Gina bit her bottom lip and he put a lose sting of hair behind her ear, letting his hand linger more on her cheek “You look so beautiful”

Gina giggled “I’m wearing a towel and my face is a mess”

“No, you’re perfect” Javier whispered, his face inches away from hers.

Gina could have walked away, could have demanded him to leave her house, but the way he spoke to her, how he seemed mesmerized by her beauty made her feel special. It had been so long since someone spoke to her like that she had forgotten what it felt like.

Javier’s fingers grazed upon her lips, travelled from her exposed shoulder towards the small of her back, pushing her gently to him. She hadn’t felt so desperate to be touched in a long while, her husband having forgotten to be tender or show her any sort of affection since their issues had begun. The feelings Javier was provoking in her seemed so new to her now, she had gotten used to feeling lonely and unwanted. Though the man before her was making her feel butterflies and the pitch of stomach burning with desire. 

The last thing Gina saw was the tender smile Javier gave her before their lips touched. She let herself go. The rational part of her was screaming it was a mistake, that she was a married woman, that Javier was her partner and having any sort of intimacy was absolutely wrong. Then there was the bigger voice, the one where her heart was included and she couldn’t deny one thing; she wanted him and he wanted her. Gina could feel it by how he kissed her, hungrily, desperately, trying to pour all the passion and desire into it.

She moaned against his lips when he pressed their bodies closer. Gina was trembling, but she wasn’t sure whether it was from the cold, or the feeling of her breast against his chest.

When the lack of air became a problem he pulled away, slowly, not before taking her lower lip between his teeth softly. She didn’t move an inch, not even when her towel was slowly slipping down from her body and she was soon to be exposed in front of him. 

“This—I don’t know what I’m doing” Gina whispered. She could feel Javier’s erratic breathing and the heat of his body through her thin towel.

“We’re doing whatever you want us to do. We could stop here and I’ll walk away, no questions asked. Or I could stay and you would let me love you like you deserve” Javier said in a husky voice.

“Fuck—”

“That’s exactly my intention” Javier whispered. Gina felt her knees go weak and her desire to feel him, his touch, his lips on her body were too much to bear.

“Then—I think it’s time for us to move somewhere else”

He smirked and kissed her again, this time harder and more demanding. He wanted to be delicate, to take things slow, but the way she wrapped her arms around his collar and played with the hair at the back of his head was driving him crazy. 

Javier lifted her up from the floor and Gina immediately folded her legs around his hips, he pressed her against a wall for a few seconds just to catch his breath, and she pushed his jacket off along with his shirt, throwing both items on the floor. She didn’t want to waste any moment to feel his body, even though time was not a problem. They had all night, but she wanted to savour every second and every inch of him.

He moved them towards her bed, still kissing, still touching every bit of her exposed body, and she felt herself melt. When they reached to the bed, her towel was long gone, and she was completely naked in front of him. Javier kneeled in front of her, between her parted legs and how his hands roamed at her body made her insides burn. 

Gina forgot about the world, forgot about everything around her. It was just them, just his kisses, his groans and sighs against her ear.

XXXX

Gina had lost track of time. The only thing she noticed was the sun shinning through the curtains, soft kisses on her shoulder blades and a hand slowly travelling from her stomach to between her legs. She moaned louder than she had planned when Javier’s hand reached her soft spot, and she could have sworn he smiled against her skin.

She shifted to her back. While she did so Javier disappeared underneath the sheets and she couldn’t help but giggle when he traced small kisses from her abdomen to her breast, stopping just a moment to suck on her nipple and make her shiver. He was absolutely wide awake to be so early in the morning. When she shivered once again, she grabbed a hold of his hair to pull him for a kiss and he obligated without complain.

“Good morning mister” Gina spoke against his lips. His kissed her hungrily, as it if was the first time and she wrapped both her legs around his hips to pull him closer fully aware of the effect she provoked in him. 

“Oh, it’s a good morning indeed” Javier said as he slowly pulled away. 

“Isn’t early to be this awake?” Gina asked him, his response muffed since he now has his attention on the spot behind her ear that made her tremble, the one that made her shiver, and he had discovered on their second round of lovemaking. “Javi—your moustache, it tickles,”

During the night, Javier had transformed into Javi. He didn’t complain; he smiled when he heard his name from her lips and now she couldn’t stop saying it.

“Mmm I know--” Javier whispered against her skin but didn’t stop. Especially when she held tight into him, her nails softly scratching his back, completely lost at his ministrations. 

“We—we have to work—” Gina spoke softly, which made Javier stop and lift his head to look at her with a soft frown. “Mood killer, I know. But if we don’t get to the office, it’s gonna get weird and the boss will ask questions I’m sure we won’t be able to answer”

“Yeah, you’re right” Javier said, pushing himself off her and gathering his underwear from the floor to put it on. Gina missed his body against her skin but didn’t complain when she watched him getting dress in front of her. She smiled widely when he caught her “See something you like?”

“Yep, everything” Gina responded flirtatiously. He turned around and gave her a long, breathtaking kiss, leaving her craving for more.

“I’m gonna make some coffee, you want some?” Javier said as he made his way towards the door, still shirtless, still unbelievably sexy. 

“Okay. I’m gonna take a shower while you’re at it” Gina said as she got up from the bed. In a matter of seconds Javier had his arms around her waist and was lifting her off the ground again. She immediately, and out of instinct, wrapping herself around his waist while she held onto his shoulders. 

“I think coffee can wait, don’t you think?” Javier said trailing kisses down her neck and into her shoulder. She laughed in response. 

“Maybe you need a cold shower” Gina suggested jokingly. 

“Only if you join me” Javier responded.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is me and my lame attempt at writing smut. I tried. I swear I did.


	9. Decisions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The relationship between Gina and Henry is getting worse, but Javier will be there to make things better.

Gina and Javier both made an agreement before they arrive at work, they would do it separately. Neither of them wanted to raise suspicion, for in the eyes of her peers she was still a married woman. A married woman with a terrible husband, but she still had a ring on her finger. She took a cab from home and Javier arrived to the office 10 minutes later. Either way, he winked at her before sitting on his desk and she couldn’t stop the blush on her cheeks.

She was so into the new things life had provided for her; she had forgotten about the bruises on her faces and the ones that gradually formed on her body. A quick look in the mirror and the images were vivid in her mind again. 

“How are you feeling?” The Chief asked her as she approached her desk.

“Better, ma’am. Thank you” Gina replied. The Chief exchanged glances from Javier to Gina and frowned. It was as if she sensed a changed in the air and it made both nervous. 

“Were you able to recognize your attackers? Or anything that might help us find them?” The Chief asked. 

“I do. I don’t think I’ll be able to forget for a long while—“ Gina replied. She could feel Javier’s eyes on her the entire time and she could hear how he anxiously tapped his fingers against the wooden desk. He wanted to reach out, to hold her hand, but he refrained from doing so for the time being.

“Alright, you can give the description to an officer so we can start looking for this guy while we wait for Nazario’s plans to unfold,” The Chief said. 

“That won’t be necessary,” Javier spoke. Both women looked at him with a frown on their faces “I have a few people out there that owe me a favor, it would be lot easier and faster if we keep our guys out of the picture,”

“Is your source reliable?” The Chief asked. 

“They all are, ma’am,” Javier stated. 

“Is that woman who dragged Gina into the club part of your reliable sources?” The Chief said. Javier sat upright on his desk and frowned at her suggestion.

“If you’re suggesting Vanessa had something to do with Gina’s attack, you’re completely out of line, not to mention wrong,” Javier spoke firmly.

“I’m not out of line if one of my people gets hurt. I may doubt everyone and everything, and I’m sure I’m not the only one who feels the same way” The Chief said as she exchanged a glance with Gina, who had remained silent while they argued. Javier turned his attention towards her, his cheeks quickly flushed.

“You too?” Javier asked her.

“I just think my attack was not random and you have to see the possibility that someone sold me out,” Gina said.

“Would she do that after she helped you get in?” Javier said.

Gina shrugged “It was her idea after all—”

“What if Nazario’s men recognized you and tracked you down? The DEA is not precisely invisible, this wouldn’t be the first time something like this happens,” Javier suggested.

“Nazario is not exactly a patient man, and I hardly doubt he would have someone follow me around like a lapdog just to beat my ass. The way they did this, it had to be someone from the inside. Someone who knew me and Nazario,” Gina insisted.

“This is—this is a lot of bullshit,” Javier snapped. The Chief shifted restlessly on her spot, feeling guilty for bringing the subject up and create conflict between his agents, since they were clearly upset.

“You know what I think is bullshit? You taking her side, defending her, when I was the one who was beaten at my house,” Gina snapped back. 

“I’m taking her side because your attacking an innocent woman!” Javier said

“Of course you would see her as a little angel if you were sleeping with her,” Gina hissed.

Both had suddenly forgotten their boss was standing just a few feet away from them. Both had also forgotten how they were surrounded by people who stole glances from them, as if their conversation was the greatest, most exciting thing in the world. If the woman didn’t interfere, they could rip their heads off. 

“Alright enough, both of you. If I had known this would cause an outburst, I would have kept my mouth shut.” The Chief said. They stopped talking, but Javier didn’t take his eyes away from her. Gina didn’t know if he was offended, or surprised at how she was venting his personal life in front of his boss, but at the moment she didn’t care. There was too much on her mind, a mix of disappointment, jealousy and anger at how Javier didn’t seem to care about her accident and more about Vanessa’s reputation. “Now, if that woman had something to do with Gina getting hurt, she’s going to be investigated” 

“She’s my source. I know her, I’ve known her for years. She’s incapable of hurting anyone. She was risking her own life by taking Gina in, when she shouldn’t,” Javier said. 

“Now you’re saying this is my fault?” Gina said. 

“I told you I didn’t agree with you going into that place, it was too risky and I wasn’t wrong. I mean, look at you? Look at your face, you got beat up because you weren’t careful, you killed a man and not only risked your life but others as well” Javier said, all too harshly and blunt for Gina’s taste. It was as if the man she had spent the night with, the sweet, carrying man, had transformed in a matter of seconds. 

“Yeah—you’re right. We all make mistakes, I guess I already made two” Gina said as she got up from her chair, grabbed her things and walked away without saying another word. Javier looked down at his hand, defeated and regretful. 

“What did you do to her?” The Chief asked him. Javier didn’t have the courage to explain anything, he just wished he learned how to keep his mouth shut. 

XXXX

Javier waited for an hour to fix his situation with Gina. He figured that she probably needed time, and he was going to be patient for her if he had to. She hadn’t showed up at work for the rest of the day; the boss explained she had called in sick and wanted to rest, but he know it was a lie. He had even made the attempt at calling her, but her voicemail picked up at each of his calls. It was that moment when he realized how angry she was, and he couldn’t blame her. After all, he had been a jackass towards her for something she might be right all along. Perhaps Javier didn’t know Vanessa like he thought he did. She might be his informant and former lover, but she was also a woman who was moved by money, and that was enough motive to put Gina’s life at risk.

Now he wanted to apologize in a way he hadn’t done before. He wasn’t the kind of man who would buy flowers, or chocolates, or anything remotely fancy, he wasn’t romantic either. Most of his relationship had been mainly sexual, but he felt something different with Gina, like a connection he couldn’t quite explain. She made him do things like buying flowers. He would have never done with anyone and she even made him worried she wouldn’t forgive him for being his natural self (an asshole). Javier wasn’t even sure she liked those sorts of things, but he was more than willing to try if she wanted. Though he didn’t know whether she liked the things he didn’t know how to do.

XXXX

Henry wasn’t the man who would give up on things he loved. He wasn’t a quitter and today would not be the first time. Gina had kicked him out of their house, send him to sleep somewhere far, in a nasty hotel room while she was doing things with a man she hardly even knows. He was certain of it, though he had never seen Javier Peña near her, but just the way he looked at her send him on a wave of rage.

That’s why he had been so insistent on his marriage, on his wife, on the woman who belonged to him and him only. No other man could look at her, to touch her, to make her his.

Henry insistently knocked on the door, the rough pounding on the wooden surface got Gina’s attention and the door was opened in a matter of seconds. He didn’t wait for an invitation, he only pushed Gina aside in a not so soft manner and waltzed inside. He discreetly scanned the room, looking for something out of the ordinary, or more specifically for one particular intruder. 

“What are you doing here?” Gina demanded. Henry ignored her question and focused on looking for whoever might be in the place he still considered his house. “Hey, I asked you a question—”

“Are you alone?” Henry asked. Gina remained silent but frowned upon hearing his question and how demanding he sounded. 

“Not that is any of your business, but yes. I am alone. Who did you expect to find here?” 

Henry snapped his head towards her, cheeks red with anger. He wasn’t thinking clearly; she noticed it. The hatred he felt was consuming him slowly, and the outcome terrified her. He wasn’t the man she married with; he was no longer the husband she dreamed spending the rest of her life with. 

“Should I expect to find someone? Do you have anyone I should know about?”

“You’re talking nonsense, Henry. If this is the reason you came for, then leave. You won’t find anything—”

“Javier. Does he come at night to keep you company?” Henry hissed as he gradually moved towards her. Gina stepped backwards and, entirely out of instinct, reached for the gun she kept in the waistband of her jeans. “Does he fuck you like you want to?” 

“You need to leave—” 

Henry didn’t listen; he wasn’t listening anymore. He just looked at her like an animal to his pray, licking his lips, walking lazily towards her, making her tremble with fear. 

He left Gina with no room to move, so she ended up trapped between the wall and Henry. He was so close she could smell the alcohol from his breath and the heat radiating from his body. 

“I won’t let anyone take you, do you understand? You’re mine, no one else” Henry whispered against her face, his lips just inches from hers, his hand circling her hip with a forceful grip and she winced in pain.

“You’re hurting me, Henry—” Gina spoke softly, trying to reason with him, though his eyes were completely lost. He kept pushing against her with his entire body, making her struggle to move even for a bit. 

“Do you ask him to stop when he touches you? I know you don’t. I know you like it—do you like it?” Henry spoke. Gina refused to answer, and he violently pushed her further against the wall, her head banging against a picture frame behind her. “Answer my fucking question!” 

“Why should I? You’re nothing to me—you lost all respect I had for you when you became an alcoholic asshole” Gina hissed. Each word sent Henry over the edge. His face flushed, his lips pursed, and he squeezed her so hard she was sure it was going to leave a mark. 

“You—you bitch” henry hissed. He pushed himself away from her and for a moment Gina thought he was going to walk away, but he didn’t. Instead, he slapped her across her cheek so hard she lost balance and landed on the cold wooden floor. He stood there, staring at her, shocked at his own actions for he tried to reach out, help her stand up but she refused to have him near her. “Gina—,”

“Get out” Gina stated firmly, avoiding Henry’s gaze. 

Gina didn’t hear him leave, she had blocked her surroundings and focused on the erratic beating of her heart and the tears falling down her cheeks. She never pictured Henry ever laying a hand on her. The yelling and questioning about her job were always part of him showing his rage, but being physically violent was something unimaginable to her and broke her apart.

XXXX

Javier made his way towards Gina’s house, flowers in his hand and a wave on anxiety on his chest. He stood outside for a couple of minutes, ready to knock when his eyes caught something unusual. The front door was unlocked and partially open. Something he felt was strange given the situation after Gina’s attack he figured having her house secured would be the major priority. Either way he stepped in, one hand on his back touching the gun he carried on the waistband of his jeans and slowly peeked inside. 

What he found made him briefly freeze on his spot. Gina was sitting on the wooden floor, arms wrapped around his legs as she whimpered. Javier instinctively looked around for any sign of violence but found nothing. Still, he was very careful when he approached her, not wishing to scare her, and crouched in front of her. The minute Gina noticed his presence, she jumped into his neck and sobbed against his shoulder. He felt her tremble in his arms and all he could do was hold her as tight as he could.

“Shhh—I’m here” Javier whispered against her ear. Gina broke away from the embrace and he wiped away the tears with his hand, in hope he could ease her pain and he noticed the red mark on the side of her face. “What happened?” 

She breathed out and shook her head, as if she could erase everything from her brain “Nothing—I—had an argument with someone. I’m okay. Really”

“That’s why you were crying your eyes out on the floor?” Javier asked. Gina pulled herself up from the floor with Javier’s help and looked down for a minute, as if she were ashamed of her own actions. “Gina, you know you can trust me. Please tell me what happened so I can help you” 

Gina pursed her lips to suppress a sob. She didn’t want to cry, but felt so weak and so ashamed for allow Henry to take things far.

“It was Henry. We had an argument and things escalated quickly—I couldn’t stop him” Gina said. Javier rubbed his temples and sighed heavily. “It was my fault—“

“No, it wasn’t,” Javier replied promptly, frowning at what her words suggested “You don’t deserve this, I’ve told you. That man is fucking dick and now needs to be arrested” 

“He was just angry—and drunk. He lost his temper, I’m sure he never meant to hurt me,” 

“What if things had gotten much worse, Gina? Please stop justifying is actions. The man is losing his mind, for no reason I’m sure of it—”

“He knows we slept together,” Gina spoke hastily. Javier stopped in his tracks. “He asked me and I didn’t deny it—”

“Then it will be mine too. If there’s someone to blame, that should be me. I was the one who started this,”

“But I didn’t stop you, because I wanted this as much as you did, and I don’t regret any single second,” Gina confessed. Javier gave her a tiny smile, and for her it made everything better. 

He approached her, held her hands between his and gave them a light squeeze “I won’t let him hurt you again, I promise” 

“He won’t. Once the divorce papers arrive, he’ll have to understand our marriage is over. It has been long gone for a long while. What he did today just erase every ounce of hesitation and regret that I had, about everything” Gina responded as she held his hand a little tighter.

“I should have come here sooner—” Javier said with a hint of regret in his voice. “Or I should have insisted on my calls and not wait for a whole hour,”

“I was mad at you so I wouldn’t have opened the door, to be honest,” Gina confessed with a shrug. “Besides, if Henry saw you here again, you would have gotten your butt kicked again,”

“Hey!—” Javier complained with a fake tone of offence. Gina giggled at his silly reaction and wrapped her arms around his waist, letting herself be carried away by the heat of the moment and how good he was making her feel after the ordeal she had been through. He hugged her too, though he was taken aback by her reaction. “You alright?”

She pushed herself away and gave him a warm smile “I’m getting there” 

“You know what’s gonna make you feel better, right away?” Javier said. Gina raised her eyebrows and stared as Javier retrieved the disregarded bouquet from the floor and handed it to her. The reaction he got was clearly not the one he was expecting: she wrinkled her nose “What? You don’t like them?”

“Oh no, it’s not that. They’re lovely—is just that, I’m allergic” Gina said with a small pout. Javier looked down at the floor, a bit embarrassed, but Gina gave him a kiss on his cheek, which made him raise his head “Thank you. It was very sweet of you—,“

“Yeah, I’m not good with words and I wanted to apologize for being an ass this morning. I thought flowers might do the trick, but then again, I suck at being romantic,” Javier said. 

“Why don’t you tell me that thing you don’t suck at?” Gina asked flirtatiously. Javier raised his eyebrows and smirked at her seductively while he putting his hands on her waist and pulling her towards his body, hips colliding, lips just inches away from one another. 

“I’m very good at making you scream my name. Over and over again,” Javier whispered against her mouth. His hand began roaming underneath her sweatshirt and Gina shivered at the feeling of his warm hands against her skin.

Gina swallowed the lump that formed in her throat, her heart beating faster inside her chest at the expectation of what was about to happen. The anxiety was killing her. 

“I’m gonna need evidence. Lots of it,” Gina barely spoke.

Javier kissed her, hard and passionately, as if his life depended on it. Gina’s mind was entirely focused on the way his hands roamed her body and his lips moved against her own. She moaned when one of his hands travelled from the small of her back to her butt, squeezing it as he swiped her from the floor to carry her towards her bedroom. Her legs wrapped around his waist, instinctively rocking her hips against his jeans, satisfied to hear him groan on her lips. She was ready for him and so was he, 

As soon as they reached her room he pulled away, tugging at her bottom lip one more time, only to look at her face, to her eyes, and she could see the desire written on his brown eyes. Gina smiled, and he replied with a peck on her lips. It was some sort of approval, for both of them, they craved for each other’s touch and didn’t want to waste any minute. Though Javier took his time to take off every piece of garment from her body, stripping her with so much delicacy she trembled each time his fingers grazed over her skin. 

Javier stared at her naked body for a moment. She felt exposed, but not at all nervous. It wasn’t their first time, but the way he stared at her with so much desire always amazed her. She tried to do the same, even when her hands trembled, but he offered his help and took off his jacket, though she followed with the rest of his clothing. 

She laid back down on the bed and he moved towards her, leaving a path of kisses until he reached her lips again. She was desperate, craved to feel him inside her for as many times as he wanted to. Javier gave her all that she needed and more, she not only felt satisfied but taken care of. He was delicate and passionate with more expertise than any other lover she had (though they weren’t many) and it was as if he knew the right spot that made her scream his name and moan until she had no energy left. 

They spent the rest of the night making love, occasionally stopping to catch their breaths or kissing, but his hands never left her body. He always managed to touch her, to caress every part of her skin that was at his reach. She arched her back and groaned when his hand stopped between her legs and his mouth sucked her nipple. This was his way of showing he was fully ready for her again, and Gina couldn’t say no to that. 

Gina learned he might not be the romantic type, but he knew how to make her forget about all the wrong in her life and that’s all she needed. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First of all, sorry for taking so long to update. I went through a major writers block and life got super dificult for me. Now I'm getting a bit better and I'll do my best to update soon. Thank you for reading!


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